The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will continue to consider potential revisions to the county’s Zoning Ordinance during its ongoing work sessions for the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite (ZOR) project. The next work sessions are scheduled for Tuesday, September 26, and Monday, October 2, 2023.
Schedule of Work Sessions
The September 26 work session is currently scheduled to cover the following topics:
- Chapter 3: Uses for Rural, Transition, and Joint Land Management Area Zoning Districts
- Chapter 4: Use-Specific Standards for Rural, Transition, and Joint Land Management Area Zoning Districts
- Chapter 12: Definitions for Rural, Transition, and Joint Land Management Area Zoning Districts
Documents prepared for the September 26 meeting are posted online here.
The October 2 work session is currently scheduled to cover the following topics:
- Chapter 5: Overlay Districts
- Chapter 6: Natural and Environmental Resources
Documents prepared for the October 2 work session are posted online here.
Four additional work sessions are currently scheduled in the month of October. The complete schedule of work sessions is posted online at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite.
The dates and times of all Board of Supervisors public meetings are posted at loudoun.gov/calendar. Meeting documents for all of the Board’s meetings are posted on the county’s website at least three days prior to the meeting date at loudoun.gov/bosdocuments.
Attend or Watch ZOR Work Sessions
The Board’s work sessions are held at the Loudoun County Government Center, located at 1 Harrison Street, SE in Leesburg. The Board’s work sessions are televised on the county’s cable channel, Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FIOS 40, and livestreamed online at loudoun.gov/meetings.
Grandfathering
During the September 7, 2023, ZOR work session, the Board of Supervisors took a straw poll vote in which the Board unanimously favored a grandfathering framework for legislative and administrative applications that are officially accepted for review in accordance with applicable county ordinances and policies on or before the date on which the new Zoning Ordinance is adopted. Grandfathering is a discretionary action by the Board to exempt one or more classes of pending development applications from the requirements of any new or amended zoning regulations.
The Board’s intent is to allow applications officially accepted as complete by the adoption date of the new Zoning Ordinance to continue to be processed under the provisions of the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, provided the applicant does not make any modifications to such applications that: (1) change or add uses; (2) increase density or floor area ratio; (3) change or increase the land area subject to the application; (4) in the absence of grandfathering, would require compliance with a new or amended regulation in the new Zoning Ordinance, unless such modification was requested by or made in response to a comment from county staff in an official referral or review memorandum; or (5) otherwise require a legislative application to be remanded to the Planning Commission for further consideration as determined by the Office of the County Attorney.
The Board also authorized administrative and legislative applications to retain grandfathered status for so long as the applicant diligently pursues approval of such application. The Board directed staff to develop objective standards for determining whether an application has been diligently pursued.
A proposed grandfathering resolution will be presented for the Board’s consideration at a future work session. A final vote on the grandfathering resolution will occur at the time the Board votes to adopt the new Zoning Ordinance.
Submit Comments to the Board of Supervisors
Members of the public may provide input to the Board of Supervisors throughout their review of the Draft Zoning Ordinance. Comments should be submitted to the Board through this online comment form. Anyone who does not have access to the internet may call 703-777-0246 to submit comments. An additional opportunity for public comment will be available at the Board’s second public hearing on the Draft Zoning Ordinance, which is tentatively scheduled for December 13, 2023.
Review the Draft Zoning Ordinance
The complete text of the Draft Zoning Ordinance being considered by the Board is available for review on the county website at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite. The county’s existing zoning ordinance, the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, is posted at loudoun.gov/zoningordinance. Once adopted by the Board of Supervisors, the new zoning ordinance will replace the existing ordinance.
About the Zoning Ordinance
The zoning ordinance regulates land use throughout the county and is the primary implementation tool for the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan, a policy document that provides guidance for elected officials and other governmental decision-makers as to where and how the community will grow over many years.
An update to the zoning ordinance is necessary following adoption of the Comprehensive Plan in 2019. The new zoning ordinance is intended to be more modern and user-friendly, with new district regulations that reflect the land use policies in the Comprehensive Plan.
More Information
Detailed information about the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite project, including a history of the process and a link to sign up for email and text updates on the project, is available on the county’s website at loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite.
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